1)Put
4 egg yolks in a bowl (keeping the whites apart) with 75 grams sugar and beat
up with a whisk. Add the vanilla powder (1 envelope) and a pinch of salt.

2)In
one other bowl, beat up the egg whites until stiff

3)Add
75 gr flour to the yolk mixture, a bit a time, passing it through a sieve; then
add the whites carefully.

4)Pour
out the batter in a large baking pan and cook at 200° for 10-12 minutes. Wet a
large cloth and lay it on the table; remove the cake over it. Roll the cake
with the cloth and put in the fridge for 1 hour. Take care the cake is still
hot as you roll it.

5)Prepare
the cream. Put 1 whole egg in a bowl, add 2 spoons of sugar and beat up until
foamy ( to prevent eventual salmonella diseases, heat this batter in double
boiling until 70°). Aromatise with 2 spoons of brandy, add 400 grams chestnut
jam, a spoon of bitter cocoa and mix well.

6)Take
off the rolled pastry from the fridge; un-wrap with care; lay the cream upon
it. Roll again. Wrap in the cloth, or in plastic film, and put in the fridge
again for 3 hours

7)Remove
from the fridge, take off the plastic film, cut the two ends and joint them to
the sides, as a tree log.

8)With
a spatula, lay melted chocolate, making strips with a fork

9)Sprinkle
with powdered sugar (the snow) and decorate with candy fruits.

Thursday, December 1, 2016

Thus the first thing to do is to soak it in cold water for a couple of days, changing water often.The finger food of the photo above is composed by two traditional Italian recipes: Baccalà Mantecato alla VenezianaPanissa LigurePlus a cracker made with puree of boiled chicke peas and starch.

SALTED CODFISH “MANTECATO” VENETIAN STYLE

Ingredients for 6 :

1
kg (2.2 Lb) salted codfish

20ml ( 1 cup) milk

2
garlic cloves

2
spoons chopped fresh parsley

Extra
virgin olive oil as much needed

salt
and pepper

Put
the codfish into a casserole dish, cover with water and milk and put over heat. As soon
as it starts to boil, skim and remove the froth, turn off the heat and leave
the codfish for 15/20 minutes in the covered pot, and then drain. In case the
fish is not tender, boil it for 10 minutes more minutes. As ready, remove its
skin, open it up, remove the bones and then crumble the meat, putting it in a
bowl-like container. Mix and beat the fish hard with a wooden spoon and pour in
a thin thread of olive oil ( you can use an immersion mixer) . Continue to beat always in the same direction (as
for the maionaise) until the fish has all been well combined. It should become
white and creamy. At this point, add as much oil as the fish absorb. Add salt,
pepper, finely chopped garlic. Serve cold.

Optionally
you can add a mashed boiled potato, or some milk/cream to the fish "dough or/and cream " to
have a suitable consistence.

Once the Baccalà Mantecato is ready, put it in a pastry bag to pipe it out on the Panissa.

PANISSA

Ingredienti:

300 gr ( 10 oz) chick peas flour

1 Lt ( 4 cups) water

30 gr ( 1oz) extra virgin oliv oil

Salt

Put the chick
peas flour in a large bowl and start to “temper” it pouring lukewarn water
whilemixing with a wisk, avoiding lumps. At the end, pass the mixture through a
thin sifter.

Mix in the
estra virgin olive oil and let it rest for 2 hours.

After this
time, add the salt. Pour it in a casserole and cook on low heat for 60 - 80 minutes, like a Polenta.

Pour the
mixture in a greased flat container, level the surface with a spatula and let
it sit at room temperature until firm and compact ( better to the next day).

Un-mould the
Panissa and cut it.

For this
finger food, cut the Panissa in squares, brush slightly with extra virgin olive
oil and bake at 180° - 350 F for about 15 minutes, until a crispy crust forms.

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

They had fun learning it and preparing with the artichokes a tasty filling for ravioli.

How to Clean Italian Artichokes

First, take off the external
tough leaves, making 2 or 3 complete circles around, until the interiorwhiter part of the leaf
becomes wider.

Cut the stalk. Hold the artichoke upside down.

The stalk has a “whiter” center
running along the middle. With a small pairing knife start to score the base of the cut stalk to
the edge of the inside circle. Pull off the thick skin to the base of the flower, then continue to peel
the “heart” using the knife.

When the artichoke is clean, place it on a cutting board and cut off
the tips, about one inch (depending on variety and size).

With her gentle ways, she has been able to infuse in me - as well as in all the family members - the rules of right and correct behaviour with yourself and with the others.

Simple rules, that have a solid base of honesty and respect.

Something we don't know where they are any more.

Some rules start at table, but they are valid in any other circumstance of life.

Never un-polite, never loutish nor vulgar, with the heart always full of anxiety for the health and the welfare of everybody, my nonna was the sweetest person I have met. At table, my place was in a corner between the "ottomano", a coach with the ironwork armrests, and the wooden cupboard, with the carved roses in the angles. My sister and I took the place of one person as there was not enough space for everybody. We had to sit nicely straight, without bending the body and without putting the elbows on the table.We were served after the old ones. My nonna would have said that first come the old ones, then the women, then the men. But she loved to serve us first, as children yearn for. We could not start eating before everyone was served.We could not talk while eating: because it is not education, as the chewed food would be in sight and becasue talking while eating could send the food to the wrong way and be dangerous. We could not put the feet on the chair, nor stay on our knees.We all wished "Buon Appetito" at the beginning of every meal and toast with our glasses to the health of everybody. Before the lunch, we had to welcome the people entering home - my nonno, my old great-uncle - with "Buongiorno", as it is duty of the younger to greet the older as first.Nothing difficult to learn.Do you think it is boaring?What do you think about yelling in the few minutes with the eyes off from the smart-phone; wearing pants that fall to the feet, groaning instead of conversating, eating a sandwich with open mouth while listening to music by head-phones...?.............put your comments.....

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

They put in practice the learned techniques and apply their immagination to create delicious dishes.

A "real" broth is prepared, with "real" ingredients...( not with a "cube").

RISOTTO AI FUNGHI

RISOTTO WITH MUSHROMS

Ingredients
for 2:

180
gr ( 6 oz) Arborio rice

120
gr ( 4 oz) Porcini mushrooms (or other mushrooms as available)

80
g butter

1
onion, finely chopped

0,6
lt ( 2 ½ cups) vegetable broth

4
tbs grated parmigiano

2
tbs parsley, chopped

1/2
glass white wine

salt
& pepper

Melt
40 g butter in a heavy-bottomed pan. Add the chopped mushrooms and cook a few
minutes until soft, then remove them
from the pan and put aside.

Add
onion and cook until transparent. Add
rice and stir until well coated. Add wine and let evaporate. Season with salt
and pepper Add little by little the hot broth until rice is "al
dente". Return the mushrooms to the pan. Add half of the minced parsley.

Leave
the risotto watery and very soft, take
it off from the heat, add cheese, stir well and let rice rest for 1 minute
before serving. Decorate with parsley

The Academic Year is over.The next regular courses will start in the new year.But, next week there are still two beautiful lessons:On Saturday , December 10th, at 10:00 amGiovanni Stecca will be the Chef of:

THE CHRISTMAS CHOCOLATE:http://gigliocooking.blogspot.it/2016/10/natale-al-cioccolato-regia-di-giovanni.htmlOn the same day, Saturday Decemebr 10th, at 4:00 pm, the children will be protagonist with Chef Antonella La Macchia: